Anthropic Renames Claude Max 20x to Ultra and Removes the Five-Hour Limit for Verified Accounts
On October 30, Anthropic rebranded its high-end Claude plans: Max 5x is now Max ($100 per month), and Max 20x becomes Ultra ($200). Verified Ultra accounts no longer have a five-hour rolling limit, though the weekly usage cap remains in place.
Anthropic announced a revamp of its top-tier individual plans this Friday, October 30, at 6:29 PM Paris time. Max 5x is now simply called Max, and Max 20x becomes Ultra. Pricing remains unchanged: $100 per month for Max and $200 for Ultra. The real change lies elsewhere: verified Ultra accounts no longer have a five-hour limit, the rolling window that previously cut off heavy users in the middle of long work sessions.
What Actually Changes
Until now, all Claude plans—from the free tier up through the Max plans—combined two caps: a usage limit resetting every five hours and, for paid plans, an overall weekly limit. For Ultra, only the latter remains. According to the pricing page, Ultra provides ten times the usage of Pro each week, which can be distributed as desired without a five-hour restriction. Max, meanwhile, keeps both caps, offering five times the usage of Pro every five hours and every week.
Anthropic emphasizes that weekly limits remain unchanged. Ultra also retains a separate weekly limit for Fable, its most capable model, which can account for up to half of the total weekly allowance. Finally, the Help Center notes that the developer may enforce additional limits, such as monthly or model-specific caps, to manage overall capacity.
Rollout Limited to “Verified” Accounts
The removal of the session limit is not immediate for everyone. It rolls out “starting today” to most existing subscribers. Newer accounts keep a temporary limit while waiting to be verified—a step Anthropic justifies as a safeguard against fraud and abuse. According to the Help Center, this verification is automatic and based on factors such as account and payment history. Verifying a phone number during checkout is not enough. An email is sent once the limit has been lifted; users can also check under Settings > Usage: if the “Current session” bar is gone, the account is verified.
The Rest of the Offer
Ultra remains available only as a monthly subscription. The $200 price tag excludes taxes for subscriptions started via the web and may differ on mobile platforms. Like Max, it includes monthly API credits for building on the Claude platform: $100 on Max, $200 on Ultra, which do not roll over from one month to the next. These credits apply to the API, Managed Agents, and the Claude Agent SDK, but not to interactive use of Claude Code, which draws directly from the plan’s standard limits.
What Remains Unclear
The previous “Max 20x” branding implied twenty times the usage of Pro; the pricing page now lists ten times the usage of Pro each week. Anthropic asserts that weekly limits have not changed without detailing the underlying math, prompting several subscribers to ask for clarification beneath the announcement. The developer has also not provided a verification timeline for newer accounts.
Our take
The five-hour limit was the most frustrating constraint for anyone using Claude Code or running long workflows throughout the day: it would cut off a session mid-stride, even with plenty of weekly allowance left. Removing it on the $200 tier turns the subscription into a weekly pool, which is far more predictable for developers and agents running extended tasks. The name change also helps streamline a lineup where “5x” and “20x” caused confusion. However, the weekly cap remains the true guardrail, and the mention of “10x Pro per week” warrants an explanation from Anthropic. Finally, the “verified” account requirement highlights that the company is wary of resale or sharing of unlimited access: new subscribers won’t be able to take advantage of the perk right away.
Sources
- Claude (X) — announcement of the Max plan rebranding and the removal of the five-hour limit Primary source
- Claude — Plans & pricing Primary source
- Claude Help Center — What is the Ultra plan? Primary source
- Claude Help Center — Monthly API credits for Max, Ultra, and Team plans Primary source
A primary source comes directly from the company, lab or organization concerned. A secondary source reports the information without being its author: we flag it as such. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.
